Welcome to the Research Observatory

IQsensato has launched a new facility called the Research Observatory. Over time, the Observatory will build up a number of topic areas. The aim is to provide an open access repository for research that helps track what is happening and what should be happening around specific research topics and to provide a basis for developing new research agendas on these topics.

This is a challenging task as not all researchers are happy to share the fact that they are investigating something until it is done. However, our hope is that, by offering a way to make sure people know what has not been done before and what isn’t already being done at the moment, researchers and organisations will benefit from fewer failed proposals and a more diverse research agenda.

The Research Observatory has a three-stage approach.

1. The Observatory team will first carry out a research situation analysis that answers three key questions:
   • What research has been undertaken recently, is currently underway or is planned for the future that relates to a particular subject area?
   • Who are the leading researchers and institutions in this subject area?
   • Where can research results be found most easily on this subject area?
2. The team will then facilitate a specialists’ discussion, using various participative exercises including mapping, research spider webs, and trend and gap analysis to focus on what is missing from the research agenda.
3. Finally the team will publish:
   • a proposed research agenda and the results of the work so far; and
   • a list of leading blogs and ‘websites to watch’ for the subject area.

The Research Observatory process is funded through both grant projects and consultancy income.